Unique Benefits and Challenges of Using AI in Recruiting

By Chris Murdock

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Artificial intelligence has made its way into the recruiting industry and brings a new dawn to the way we recruit and hire candidates. AI has completely altered the recruitment landscape from using software to reducing the amount of time spent on administrative tasks by establishing analytics that predicts a candidate's projected fit and quality. Arnold Schwarzenegger hasn't been turned into a giant, laser-eyed robot and AI hasn't reached catastrophic levels of intelligence... For now. helps talent acquisition teams streamline hiring.

So what is the next attempt at an AI recruiting game changer? Chatbots.

What are Chatbots?

A chatbot is an automated service that uses AI to operate within a defined set of rules and parameters. Essentially, it works the same way as a human manning a help desk, or in this case, a recruiter providing information to candidates.

Candidate experience is proving to be of vital importance and is also a place where many companies fail. Candidates want to ask questions rather than fill out endless form fields. They want to be notified of the status of their application. They want feedback after an interview. More than 77% of people who have searched for a job in the past five years say they prefer human interaction throughout the job hunt. With the countless responsibilities of today’s recruiters, these responses often fall through the cracks, having a negative impact on the employer brand. This is where chatbots can assist.

The Benefits of Chatbots in Recruiting

While chatbots can lessen the HR load by performing a wide range of HR functions such as responding to FAQs on company policies, employee training and benefits enrollment, there are major benefits to using them in recruiting as well.

Relieve yourself of admin work — Collecting candidate information, conducting initial screenings and answering status queries can be taxing and break the flow of your day. Chatbots tackle these administrative tasks with a human touch, leaving the candidate happier than if he were asked to fill out a seemingly endless form or wait for a status update that he may never receive.

Receive the gift of time — Removing routine tasks from your to-do-list provides recruiters with more time to get after higher-level tasks. 75% of recruiters feel automation allows them to complete routine tasks quickly. Imagine what could be accomplished if you could dedicate yourself to proactive sourcing, enhanced communication with hiring managers and pipeline development.

Improve the candidate experience — Chatbots are available at all times, meaning candidates aren’t waiting for responses to questions if a recruiter is stuck in a meeting or if it is after business hours. They also relieve the threat of messages coming across as impatient if you were to answer them while eager to move on to other items on your to-do list. Timely responses make the candidate feel important, leaving her with a better impression of the process and even the employer.

The Challenges of Chatbots in Recruiting

It has been said with great power comes great responsibility. So while these benefits are great, there are also some challenges that come with implementing chatbots in the recruiting process.

Understanding the candidate lingo — When reading articles or in verbal communication, it is common to think “I would have phrased that differently,” because communication styles are unique. When chatting with a bot this can lead to challenges. If a candidate uses slang or abbreviations the chatbot may have difficulty understanding, and the candidate is likely to walk away frustrated. The chatbot could also provide a response that doesn’t quite fit the candidate question, leading to negative perception.

Robotic tone — While chatbots mimic human interaction, often times the responses still seem a little stale and robotic. Candidates seeking an emotional element may leave a chatbot experience underwhelmed.

The unpredictable candidate — While 58% of candidates say they’d be comfortable interacting with a chatbot during the application process, some may respond negatively and terminate the conversation prematurely. If this is a quality candidate, this poses a risk that would need to be mitigated.

It is estimated that 58% of companies use chatbots. A number that is sure to grow with the clear benefits they have in not only the recruiting game but HR as a whole. If your organization is looking to improve the candidate experience, make your next recruit a chatbot.

*This article may or may not have been written by a chatbot.*

About Chris Murdock:

Chris Murdock is the Co-Founder and Senior Partner of IQTalent Partners. Chris has over 12 years of executive recruiting experience and leads search execution and client relationships along with supporting searches across the firm. Prior to Founding IQTalent Partners, Chris was a sourcer with Yahoo!’s internal Executive Recruiting team in the corporate offices in Sunnyvale, California.

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